Nepal Centre for Disaster Management (NCDM) was established in February 2002 with an aim to help effectively mitigate the impact of disasters in the country. The Centre is registered in the Kathmandu Distric Administration Office, Government of Nepal. NCDM is also registered under the Social Welfare Council, Nepal.

Nepal is located in a geographic region prone to natural disasters. Loss of lives and property are a regular phenomenon, and the number of such events is on the rise due to natural as well as man-made causes. Among the main reasons of natural disasters in Nepal are active tectonic and geomorphic processes, young and fragile geology, variable climatic conditions, unplanned settlement, increasing population, weak economic condition and low literacy rate. Nepal is therefore geologically found to be vulnerable to various types of natural disasters such as flood, landslide, fire, epidemic, earthquake, avalanche, windstorm, hailstorm, lightning, Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), drought etc. A GLOF in Nepal can also be even more dangerous than the tsunamis faced by sea-faring countries due to its downwards-movement through gravity.